String of Fate
by Upsilon 20
Summary: She was the girl that was the embodiment of spring and has swore to protect everything and everyone she deemed precious to her. They were the ones who she cherishes the most. This is the story of Haruno Sakura and the bonds that ties them to her. The red string of fate is tangled, but no matter what, still connects the people involved.
1. Haruno Mebuki

**I do not own Naruto**

* * *

-Haruno Mebuki-

She was feeling sick these days; nausea had become her daily companion it seemed.

Kizashi was worried silly about her well-being; she was his wife after all. So, being the loving husband he was, he somehow found a way to make her go to the family doctor's clinic. It did took a few attempts, but she was stubborn that way, always waving it off and saying that it was something that will pass.

So here she was, sitting in front of Kenkō Yoi* and having the most shocking news to be heard, to her at least.

She was pregnant and she was surprised that she was. It was the last thing she would have thought to be the reason of her morning sickness.

She could say 'I saw it coming', but for some reason, she really, really didn't.

The next thing she felt was joy. She was having a baby, a goddamn family of her own that was complete and all that stuff that she ever wanted as a kid. She was at bliss. She can't wait to tell her mom about the pregnancy and preparing the baby room with her husband-

Wait, how about her husband?

She felt a little bit nervous. She didn't know how her husband would take the news. She wished that she had brought him to her visit. What perfect timing to have him on a sudden meeting with the clan's elders. She really had the worst luck when it comes to timing.

'_How would he accept the news? We really haven't planned to start a family yet. What am I going to do? Damn that lovable clown._'

But then she remembered that she was married to Kizashi, Haruno Kizashi for god's sake.

She cursed herself for worrying. Of course he would be happy, he was having a child! He loved her too much to be upset over a pregnancy that was sudden. She could even imagine him making puns and jokes over her predicament and calling their child his little prince or princess. Making guesses on how their child would look like and hoping for it to have his ridiculous pink hair. He was always that kind of a man. He would definitely love their child. Damn him to hell if he wouldn't.

"Haruno-san, are you quite alright?"

She jumped a little bit at hearing the voice. She glanced at the source and mentally sighed. She almost forgot about the doctor. He looked a little bit worried. She thought that maybe that was the reason why he already had a graying mop of hair, he cared too much for his patients.

'_Stop worrying about this, you'll be fine._'

"I'm sorry Kenkō-sensei, I was lost in thought. It surprised me that I was pregnant; I was really not expecting that. But I'm glad that I am, thrilled to be exact. So I'm more than alright." She admitted and smiled at the end, reassuring the doctor that she was okay _(and that she was keeping the baby)._

Yoi released a small sigh of relief and smiled afterwards. He knew that Mebuki was an honest person so performing an abortion was out of his list to worry about. But he had some sort of an idea on what she was thinking about, Kizashi, to be precise and that abortion was not on her list at all. He let out a chuckle. Leave it to Mebuki to worry. She was always a kind and caring woman. Well, considering he also worries too much for his own good, he knows how she feels to a certain degree.

"You're free to leave now Haruno-san, be sure to take care of yourself and avoid stress as much as you can. I'll appoint you to a friend of mine, who is a pediatrician, to help you through your pregnancy. Come over at Monday afternoon, alright?"

Mebuki nodded and beamed at him. She was thankful that he already had a pediatrician in mind. But-

"How many times have I told you to call me Mebuki, Kenkō-sensei? You have been the family doctor for a while now. And you'll be my child's doctor too, so, enough with that Haruno-san thing." She said.

"If that is what you wish, Haruno-san."

Seeing the grin he offered her, she let out an annoyed sound at the back of her throat but laughed afterwards. Leave it to Yoi to be that guy. But, to be fair, she doesn't call him Yoi, well, verbally. She got up from her seat, paid the amount needed for the check-up and bid the doctor good-bye. But before she was completely out of his clinic, he said something that made her delighted. And she was surprised that his usual gruff voice had a hint of amusement, reassurance and happiness rolled into one.

"Congratulations Mebuki, I'm sure you'll have a wonderful child. And don't worry, Kizashi would be elated about the news, you know that man more than anybody else."

"Finally, you called me Mebuki!" She said and playfully winked at the doctor but he waved it off and made a shooing motion with his hand. She could see he was amused by her wink and giggled quietly when she closed the door.

She left the clinic with a smile on her face but stopped abruptly in the middle of the sidewalk. Something bothered her.

How was she going to tell Kizashi?

Not in the 'oh shit, I'm screwed' kind of way, but in the 'how in the hell would I bring up this news and what process should I use' kind of way.

She hummed and continued walking. She might as well be blunt about it. She only hoped that he won't faint. But now that she thought about it…

No, He definitely would faint.

She laughed. Oh, she was going to enjoy this.

She rubbed her flat stomach, imagining her future about her family, her child.

'_I'll love you, no matter what. That's a promise._'

* * *

*** Kenkō means health and Yoi means good**

**So this is a thing, tell me what you think of this thing. It may come off as drabble-ish so I hope you have no problem with that. English is not my first language so forgive me if there are mistakes. I hope I did not make Mebuki OOC, it's just what I think how her attitude is.  
**


	2. Haruno Kizashi

**I do not own Naruto**

* * *

-Haruno Kizashi-

Kizashi fainted when he heard the news. He really did. His wife was laughing at him hysterically after that and he was sure to never forget that moment.

He still couldn't believe that his wife was pregnant with his child.

And now after months have passed, he was still in shock that he was going to be a father. That someone was going to call him daddy, otousan and whatever his child would want to call him. He smiled. He was happy.

He sighed after a moment; Mebuki's cravings were getting a little bit ridiculous. It ranged from dango with unbelievable sauces to ice-cream madness. But he got to see her happy face at the end, feel her stomach moving and even get to hum a little tune to his child. Mebuki sometimes found him a little bit funny and ridiculous but she appreciates what he was doing. They were going to be there for their child, together.

Speaking of cravings, he was currently making chocolate flavored dumplings that she asked for. Contrary to what the neighbors think, he was the one who does all the cooking in their household. He let out a little laugh when he remembered how Mebuki pouted when she found out that he was a better cook compared to her. That was a long time ago, now that he thought about it, and she never really lived it down. Don't get him wrong, he loved her cooking and once admitted that his favorite meal was her homemade food but that never really stopped him at teasing her occasionally.

"Kizashi, I- my water broke!"

That scream startled him out of his thoughts. It took a while for him to comprehend but, after a while, his eyes widened, realizing that his wife was about to give birth. He quickly turned off the steamer and went to the source of the voice.

'_She- she's early, just-_'

"If you don't haul your ass here Kizashi, I'll drag you to the hospital myself!"

Pinpointing where she currently is, he went to her, making his steps faster. When he arrived to his destination, he noticed Mebuki hunched on the couch and panic rushed into his veins.

"Don't just stand there! I know our child is early but do something!"

He let out a shaky sigh and hoisted her into his arms. Thank Kami that he was strong enough to carry her. Careful not to move her too much he power walked out of the house, he felt her panic and fear when she clutched the fabric of his kimono-shirt.

He silently prayed to Kami-sama that everything would be okay.

* * *

It was a small thing when he first saw it in the arms of his wife. Focusing his attention at the small bundle, he realized that it was covered in pink cloth. He had a daughter.

Feeling that someone was staring at him he cut off his attention on his child and noticed that Mebuki was looking at him. He offered her a shaky smile. He was a mess when they wheeled Mebuki out of his sight and paced restlessly around the hallway when she was giving birth. It went on for hours and he didn't know how he willed himself to not burst through the doors and be there with his wife and child but now that he saw her smiling and that they were both here, breathing, he let all the tension collapse.

Noticing that he was by the door and that he was a shaky but relieved mess, she smiled at him and made a gesture to come closer, it was rare to see him this wound up and emotional that it almost unnerved her but seeing the tension leave his body and his shining blue eyes when he came closer, she knew that he was going to be okay, albeit shaky but okay.

"Are you both okay?"

That was the first thing that came out of his mouth when his steps brought him to Mebuki's side. Her and his newly born daughter's well-being was first on his mind. They were his family and family is one of the most important things to him. He wanted to make sure that they were both alright.

"We're both fine Kizashi, a little bit sore on my part but fine."

He looked at her and grinned. He was glad that they were okay, it was obvious but hearing it from her made him sure of it. He peered at the little bundle on her arms and made a discovery that he was very happy to find.

His daughter had pink hair.

He almost let out a whoop of victory at seeing the tiny pink fluff but Mebuki was quick to stop him and made a gesture to keep quiet. He let out a small "Yes" instead.

"I knew it!" He said in a not so quiet way.

Mebuki glared at him but smiled afterwards. She had a feeling that he would have that kind of reaction. Her musings stopped when she felt the little one stir awake and when she looked down; doe-like eyes were looking up. She giggled when her daughter released a yawn.

"She's awake, huh?"

Mebuki nodded and cooed at the baby.

He moved closer and noticed that his blossom had green emerald eyes. He brought his hand closer to hers and laughed when she clutched it with her small fist. He looked at his wife and smiled. He was a father and he had a pink-haired and green-eyed little girl.

"What should we name her?" He asked after a while.

Mebuki hummed and thought about it for a moment. She looked down towards her daughter once more.

'_She reminds me of spring and cherry blossoms._'

"How about Haru?" She asked him.

"I'm not sure about that. Do you have any more ideas?" He answered while eyeing the pink fluff of hair his daughter had.

"Ah, Haruno Haru does seem weird when you think about it. How about Sakura? She does remind me of cherry blossoms." She tried again and smiled when he eagerly nodded his head. She recalled that he liked cherry blossoms, especially when they bloomed.

"Haruno Sakura? I like it and I would love to name her Sakura but do you like it?" He asked and hoped that she would agree. He might use his puppy eyes on her if she disagrees.

She thought for a while but quickly made her decision. Sakura really did fit her daughter. It just seemed wrong to not name her any other. She smiled at how she really did not have to think about it, she was the one who came up with the idea after all.

"Well, Haruno Sakura does seem to have a ring to it, doesn't it?"

Kizashi grinned, knowing that Mebuki agreed to name her Sakura. He kissed her forehead and proceeded to coo at little Sakura and made silly faces for her to laugh at.

"Do you want to carry her?"

He stopped abruptly, making Sakura let out a small sound.

"I might drop her."

"I'll be right here to catch her if you do."

He made a noise of nervousness and carefully brought Sakura into his arms. He was surprised that his hands weren't shaking as he thought it would and let out a shaky sigh. He was carrying his daughter. He smiled. He was filled with so much emotions this day having his daughter born, having his wife and daughter alive, getting the chance to carry her and seeing his wife happy had made him very thankful for this day.

'_So, this is what being a father feels like?_'

He looked towards Mebuki and noticed that she had teary eyes and that she was smiling. He then directed his attention to Sakura and she seemed to be dosing off. He closed his eyes and hummed a tune the he often did when she was in Mebuki's stomach.

He had a family. A family that he would protect, love, and care

He made a promise that day to do everything just to make them happy.

* * *

**I really did hope you like what I have done to Kizashi.**

**I update at least once a week, which means I can either update twice or thrice a week if you're curious.**


	3. Umino Iruka

**I do not own Naruto**

* * *

-Umino Iruka-

She was five when he first met her and she was a very shy girl back then, very small too.

He remembered that he was just promoted to chūnin back then and that it was his first solo mission outside of Konoha as one. He was tasked to protect civilians while travelling to a village called _Yu no Kuni (_which was previusly known as _Yugakure_) that was located near _Hi no Kuni's_ borders.

He was informed that they had important goods with them that the Haruno clan will need for their annual gathering. He was somewhat impressed that their clan members would meet up this frequently considering the fact that Harunos where spread throughout the countries.

He wondered why they needed protection since Yugakure was known as 'the village that has forgotten wars' and was not a hidden village at all. He sighed at his own stupidity after realizing that he was escorting civilians with goods and goods means the probability of bandits coming after you which gives a chance for death to come swinging his scythe after your head.

'_Sometimes, you can really be stupid Iruka._'

He let out a little chuckle and glanced at the children playing ninja outside. He had just received the mission scroll and was currently walking throughout the Academy aimlessly. He always enjoyed these kinds of walks, he didn't really know why but he had a feeling he enjoyed seeing the village he vowed to protect at peace and seeing children benefit from it.

'_What time is it though?_'

He glanced at the clock provided at the Academy's hallway and grinned. He had enough time to set up his equipment and even grab a quick bite at Teuchi's place, Ramen Ichiraku.

* * *

When he was the first one to arrive at the given meeting place, he realized that he was a little bit too early. He sighed and decided to wait for them. He let the time pass by observing the villagers go throughout the day and sometimes see ninjas hopping from roof to roof. He also thought about his clients, Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki. As far as he knew they would be leaving their only daughter behind with a babysitter. So when he noticed the couple (how could he ignore a fully grown pink haired man?) going towards his direction with their cart he was surprised to see them with a little girl, a five years old girl if he were to guess. He took another guess that the little girl was their daughter.

"Good morning Kizashi-san and Mebuki-san." He greeted politely.

Seeing that he had their attention he stood up straight and went closer to their cart.

"Ah, you must be Umino Iruka-san?" Kizashi asked.

When he agreed he was the person in question, the pink haired man grinned and made a gesture towards the little girl hiding behind his back.

"I know it's quite a shock but we decided to bring our daughter along, her babysitter was not available and her aunt was busy so we had no choice but to take her to the gathering. This is Haruno Sakura. Say hello, blossom."

Iruka glanced at the pink haired child and noticed that she was small and somewhat pale. He had to listen carefully to even hear her voice since it almost resembled a whisper.

"H-hello." She greeted quietly while avoiding his gaze.

He crouched and smiled warmly towards her.

"Hello there, Sakura-chan. It's nice to meet you." He said.

"It's nice to meet you too, U-Umino-san." She replied, offering him a small, unsure smile.

He let out a small chuckle and stood up.

"No need to be so formal, you can call me Iruka-san."

He was glad to see her nod. He then glanced towards the Haruno couple and asked them if they were ready to leave. They responded positively and got on their cart. He gave their horse a pat on its head and gave them the signal that it was okay to move on.

'_I hope this ends well.'_

It was a three day journey after all.

* * *

They were ambushed by bandits during the trip.

He knew it was bound to happen, especially when he noticed that the forest was too quiet.

He cursed himself for his bad luck.

As he scanned the area, he saw there were only three bandits in total. There were two in sight (he noted that one was a blond male and the other a red-haired male) and one was hiding amongst the trees. He was relieved that only one was genin-ranked and that the other two was akin to an academy student when he got hold of their chakra signature.

But that didn't make his job easier.

He was glad that he casted a quick but subtle genjutsu over the Harunos in hindsight. It was a little bit weak but he went to put another layer over it when he heard their steps. The bandits were clumsy and they were going to pay for their clumsiness.

"Hand over everything you have and we won't have to kill you." The blond ordered with a deep voice.

He noted that they didn't know that the Harunos were there.

He made a hand sign behind his back. It was subtle enough that the bandits didn't notice. It was a sign of silence that he knew the Harunos would see. Konoha civilians were thought the basic hand signs when they appoint a mission in C-rank or higher. Those hand signs were danger, stay, genjutsu and silence. He hoped that they understood.

"Deaf aren't you? Did you hear us or not?"

He let out a sigh and put up his hands in a sign of surrender, confident that the Harunos understood the situation. He had a plan in mind.

The two bandits grinned and ushered him closer.

"Kenji! You can come out! We have this in the bag."

They were getting confident.

"Stop, something isn't right here."

He went still for a moment but continued walking. Damn, someone noticed and that someone was the genin-ranked one.

He heard quiet footsteps but continued towards his destination. He knew what was going to happen next. His body tensed the slightest bit.

"Don't move."

He felt something sharp on his neck. He was caught.

'_Wrong position when holding the knife, buddy_'

"Well, well. What do we have her-"

He quickly moved and grabbed the knife pointed at his neck and brought his hidden kunai towards his captor's thigh. He then heard his weapon hitting flesh. He heard the muffled curse of his captor and the sound of a body hitting the ground. The kunai was laced in paralyzing poison that acted quickly. He glanced towards the other two and was somewhat surprised they had their knives out.

He needed to finish this fast.

He detonated a smoke bomb and quickly casted the hand seals for the _Shunshin no Jutsu_ and appeared behind them. Pin pointing the needed pressure points he forcefully induced them into a paralyzed state which forced them to drop their knives.

He sighed and scanned the area for potential opponents. He found that there was no one near besides the bandits and the Harunos. He released the genjutsu and rounded up the unmoving trio, retrieving his kunai along the way. He heard a small squeak and sobbing. He realized it was Sakura and sighed. He tied the trio to a tree, paralyzed and unable to move. He searched them for identification and found none.

They were common thieves.

He left them there. There was no need for unnecessary bloodshed. To be sure that they won't be moving anytime soon, he put them in a genjutsu that would activate if there was a chance of them waking up too soon.

"Are you alright?"

He tensed but relaxed after a moment. He looked towards the source of the voice and found that it was Mebuki who spoke. She was carrying a shaken Sakura.

He let out a deep breath.

"I'm alright."

She looked at him sternly.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

He nodded.

He glanced towards the sniffling child. He should be more careful next time. He was alone, on a solo mission. No one was going to help him this time.

"I'm sorry you have to see that, especially Sakura. Is she- Will she be alright?" He asked with a hint of guilt in his voice.

Mebuki hummed and comforted her daughter; it seemed that she didn't hear him.

"She will."

He turned his head towards Kizashi. Not sure how to respond to that he nodded instead. He glanced once more to the child and sighed.

"Come on Iruka-san, we still have a long way to go."

He stood up and continued on his way.

'_To Yugakure._'

* * *

The sun was already setting when they decided it was time to rest. He was sitting beside the campfire. Kizashi and Mebuki were inside their cart discussing clan matters, he had a feeling Sakura was keeping close to them. He still felt guilty that child had to see what he did at such a young age. It was a good thing that he was not a fan of unnecessary bloodshed. He laughed bitterly.

'_Considering the things I already have done, I should be called a monster_.'

And he was still sixteen.

"I-Iruka-san?"

That voice knocked him out of his thoughts. He was a little bit shocked that Sakura was still willing to talk to him. He smiled at her and invited her to sit by him. She did.

"What is it Sakura-chan?" He questioned.

He saw that she took a deep breath, as if she needed all her courage to say something. He patiently waited for her words and absently watched the smoke from the fire rise.

"Why did you h-hurt those people?" She asked, her voice lowering at each word. She seemed confused and scared of his answer.

"P-papa said only a bad person would hurt others. Are you a bad person?" She continued before he could answer her previous question.

He sighed.

"No, Sakura, I hurt them because they wanted to harm you and your parents." He answered. He was being careful of his words. He was talking to a kid.

"Are t-they bad people?" She asked again and tilted her head. She seemed a little bit calmer now.

"They were." He answered again. He was not sure as to what else he would say.

"Is that what ninjas do? Protect people from bad guys?"

He thought about her next question. What ninjas did was the best for their village, no matter how hard it was and how wrong it is in the eyes of another. It all depends on what a person's point of view after all, whether what they were doing was right or wrong.

"Yes, they also protect their village and their precious people. But sometimes there are bad ninjas and those types of ninjas only care for themselves and not their village, family nor friends." He finally answered and hoped she understood what he meant.

Calm silence followed his answer. He glanced at Sakura and he saw that she was in deep thought, well as deep as a child could do. He let her absorb what he said and waited for some kind of response. When he saw her eyes brighten, he knew something changed.

"I want to be a ninja." She declared.

He was stumped.

'_How can she decide that fast? How could she even come to that conclusion_?'

"Why?" He questioned with uncertainty in his voice.

She considerably brightened up.

"To protect my family!"

He smiled at her. He was not sure whether to be happy or worried about it. A shinobi's life was not pretty, no matter what perspective you view it. Sometimes you are forced to do things you wouldn't, just for the sake of the mission. He nodded at her all the same.

"I'm sure you'll be a great ninja, Sakura-chan."

He then noticed the small spark of determination in her green eyes.

'_Is this what they call the start of the Will of Fire?_'

* * *

_**Yu no Kuni - Land of Hot Water**_

_**Yugakure - Village Hidden in Hot Water**_

_**Hi no Kuni - Land of Fire**_

_**Shunshin no Jutsu - Body Flicker Technique**_

**Well, Sakura needed some reason to even want to become a shinobi, right? Why not toss in Iruka and a mission that almost went wrong together? And don't tell me it was because of 'Sasuke-kun' because she only started to fangirl over him when she met Ino and she was already in the academy by then.**

**(Sorry for not updating last week, my computer was out for the count)**


	4. Yamanaka Ino

**I do not own Naruto**

* * *

-Yamanaka Ino-

When she first saw her at the academy, she was surprised at how pink her hair was. It had reminded her of flowers, especially the cherry blossoms that her father often collected when they were in bloom. The next thing that drew her younger self in was her eyes. They were the 'greenest green ever', she would say when she described her back then.

She was curious about her, to say bluntly. She was like the fairies that her mother would tell her during story time, the fairies that would help the flowers bloom and give life to withered trees. She knew they were only stories but they were fascinating to hear and imagine.

'_She would definitely be the fairy queen_.'

She giggled quietly at that thought. Imagine what Shikamaru would say about her 'troublesome' thoughts. She sighed and continued to observe the new student. Ino saw hesitance in her green eyes when the teacher prompted her to introduce herself to class.

"M-my name is Haruno Sakura." The designated 'fairy', Sakura, said in a hushed tone.

Ino perked up when she heard her introduce herself. Sakura was named after a flower. She grinned and decided she would be her friend. She only hoped that Shikamaru and Chōji wouldn't mind too much.

* * *

She sighed in annoyance. Ino never really the chance to approach Sakura and the one time that she had the chance to do so, she was abruptly grabbed by Chōji to some shenanigan that he and Shikamaru was about to do. Well, the term 'shenanigan' was not exactly the word to use when dealing with the duo since Shikamaru was as active as a sack of potatoes and Chōji was- well, Chōji. They were probably going to watch clouds again.

She harrumphed but admitted to herself that watching the clouds roll by was calming, albeit boring but calming all the same. As she let Chōji drag her along, she noticed something that bothered her. She saw a group of girls surround someone in the park and were shouting insults again and again. She clenched her jaw when she noticed that it was Sakura who was in the middle of it all. The little girl was crying and looked like a lost puppy surrounded by hounds.

She took a deep breath and told Chōji an excuse that he probably won't believe but he let her go. She knew he would understand. As she went to the group she grabbed a bunch of wildflowers along the way. She already had a plan in mind to make the bullies stop their merciless teasing.

She took a deep breath and stood still for a moment and calmed her nerves. It wasn't the first time she had to deal with stupid bullies but it made her nervous for some reason. She sighed and listened to what the bullies were talking about. She was shocked that they were teasing Sakura for her hair and forehead. Sakura's hair was very pretty, she admitted to herself. Why would they tease her about that? And what about her forehead? It might be big but it wasn't _that_ big, to be honest.

When she had her goal in sight she called over the bullies. She then proceeded to threaten them over her 'poisonous' flowers. She knew they would believe her since she was the best at identifying different kinds of plants at the Academy. They scampered like ants. She looked around, making sure that they were gone, and threw away the wildflowers. She glanced at the whimpering girl and noticed that she was covered with little cuts and occasional bruises. She looked like a mess, especially with her tears.

'_She was dealing with Academy students after all._'

She sighed and approached the pink-haired child. She looked so small.

"Hey, are you all right?" Ino said with concern laced into her voice.

Sakura looked up to her and let out a whimper of fear.

"H-hey! I'm not going to hurt you, promise!" She said in a rush.

Ino peered over Sakura and grinned at her in an attempt to calm her.

"See? I won't hurt you. So, don't cry, okay? The bullies are gone now and I promise they won't hurt you anymore."

Silence followed after that (with the occasional sniffle). She waited for Sakura to respond. She wasn't in a hurry after all, she had time.

"R-really?"

Ino almost missed the voice since it was so quiet. It was like Sakura was afraid of her. She smiled. It was better than nothing, she supposed.

"Really! So, I'm Yamanaka Ino! What's your name?"

She already knew her name but it wouldn't it be better to properly introduce herself, right? She glanced at Sakura's bruises while waiting for a response.

'_That's got to hurt_.'

She then heard a quiet murmur from the girl. She concluded that it was her name but you could never be too sure.

"What? I didn't quite catch that." She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"M-my name is Haruno Sakura." The small girl said with a louder tone of voice.

Ino smiled. It was better than the last one. She glanced again at Sakura's bruises and pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. She made a gesture to wait and ran over to the nearest water fountain and proceeded to dampen the handkerchief. She ran back and offered the damp handkerchief to Sakura.

"You need to clean your wounds Sakura. Here!" She said as she handed Sakura the piece of cloth.

Sakura looked at it and used it to clean the dirt off her cuts. She flinched occasionally but continued cleaning her wounds.

Ino plopped down beside Sakura and hummed a little tune to herself and thought of what the bullies had said to Sakura. She looked at her and observed her closely. She remembered the piece of long cloth that her mother had given her and pulled it out of her pocket. It was red and silky. She had an idea to help her new friend out.

"Hey, Sakura. Listen closely, alright?"

She noticed that she was finished cleaning her cuts and when she saw her nod she continued.

"Don't listen to those bullies. Your hair is very pretty. It reminds me of flowers, to be honest. And your forehead isn't that big!" She rushed to say.

She leaned closer and brushed Sakura's bangs away. She saw her flinch but continued to what she was saying.

"See? So don't hide it, okay?" She said with a grin.

She took hold of the red cloth and tied it around Sakura's head like a headband.

"You look pretty like that and the bullies won't bother you anymore if you're proud of it!" She declared.

She didn't wait for a response and hurriedly grabbed Sakura's hand and led her to the nearest fountain and showed her what she looked like with the headband.

"See?" Ino said with hope in her voice.

She looked at Sakura with curiosity and paid attention to her reaction. She let out a whoop of joy when she saw her let out a small smile.

"T-thank you, Ino-san. Your hair is pretty too, it reminds me of the sun." She said with a hint of happiness in her voice.

"I'm glad you liked it! And call me Ino, Sakura. Enough with the honorifics! We're friends, right?"

Sakura looked over her with gratitude. She looked so happy.

"Yeah. We're friends Ino."

She was surprised when Sakura hugged her but she returned the hug. She grinned.

"Thank you, Ino."

* * *

Ino sighed and looked at the cherry blossoms blooming.

'_I'm sorry, Sakura._'

She smiled weakly.

She missed their friendship.

* * *

**So, hi.**

**I know that I said that I would upload weekly but it seems that I _might_ break that this month.**

**Might being the key word. But I'll try my best to update weekly.**

**I know that this meeting seems different from canon but tell me what you think?**

**Its quite sad at the end, huh? Don't worry, they'll be friends again.**

**So, who would you prefer next? Shikamaru, Chōji or Naruto? I was planning on Naruto but I would like to see who you prefer**. I don't know though, so** yeah**.********


End file.
